


Dance like it's the last time

by Vauhtimursu



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - World War II, Byleth appears in ch4, F/M, Historical Inaccuracy, Told from Seteth's perspective, description of war, spoiler-free
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24541282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vauhtimursu/pseuds/Vauhtimursu
Summary: Summer of the year of our Goddess 1944. A war has been raging in Fódlan for several years now, and people are starting to lose hope. A town is in need of a priest to help lighten their situation, whom the Archbishop is happy to provide. Seteth is sent off.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer 1: I apologize if any of the characters are OOC or places are inaccurate to the 3H map. Also this is spoiler-free so don't worry about stumbling upon spoilers.
> 
> Disclaimer 2: In this concept I do not compare the events of the game to WWII, merely the events of the game are transitioned into that time period.

A long and narrow corridor. Light, somewhat hesitant footsteps echo through the ancient stone walls of Garreg Mach Monastery. They say, those walls have seen the rises and falls of great heroes with great ambitions and have lived through the lives of thousands of legends, and will remain standing to live through a thousand more. They say, walls never forget. 

Seteth slowed his pace as he neared the end of the corridor. He turned to his right and found himself standing in front of a large door embroidered with gold and jewels. He shifted in his place slightly uncomfortable and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. An invitation to come in was heard in response, and he let himself in. 

“Lady Rhea, forgive me for interrupting at such a late hour, I was told you were looking for me.” Seteth said almost nervously, as the Lady has never invited him straight to her chambers, let alone when the evening has been already coming to its end. “Finally, you have come. Please, take a seat”, she said kindly while gesturing him to an armchair next to her. “Whatever must be the reason for this late-night visit?” Seteth carefully sat on the edge of the seat. He grew suspicious when he saw a sudden change in the archbishop’s expression. “Seteth, you are my most trusted assistant. It pains me to tell you this, but I am afraid I must send you off”, Rhea’s voice changed. 

A slight wave of shock went through his back. “Whatever does that mean, My Lady?” He almost let his calm voice tremble in stupor. “In the light of recent events I was asked to provide a priest of his word to a town west of here. With the Imperial forces pushing back our borders in the South-West...” She hesitated. “People there need a little faith in their life in these dark times. The situation there is dire, Seteth, and I am asking you, as you are the only person I can trust completely with this task”, Rhea said in almost a regretting tone. 

Silence filled the room, as second-in-command of Garreg Mach tried to process the information he had just received. As serious as he may have always seemed, now he sat there, feeling like his life had just taken an unexpected turn. Archbishop’s voice pulled him back into reality: “Seteth, you’ve been silent for a moment. Are you willing to accept my offer?” He looked at her, trying to put words together. “I- You must know by now that I will follow your every order, Lady Rhea.” “Oh. I should had noticed by your reaction that I must had put my words incorrectly. This is not an exile, nor it is a one-way journey. Certainly, you will be returning to Garreg Mach after our forces push back the Empire and the situation will calm down a tad. I only ask you to take care of the people there for a small while.” 

He felt himself a total fool. Why would he think that Lady Rhea would send him away for good? Of course it was just a work trip, he had done dozens of them in the past. A sudden feeling rose in his stomach, a familiar one, yet he could not name it. He already knew in that moment that he shouldn’t accept the offer. It felt strange, scary even, but somehow warm and... welcoming. Like a call for destiny. A destiny that he _knew_ would be just a repeat of the pain and uneasiness he’s been bearing for years. He shook the thought off his mind. What he did or did not want has never been at the top of his priorities. Another war has been brought upon Fódlan, and it was the Church’s duty to protect the people from falling into the hands of despair. He stood up. 

“Forgive my manners, Lady. I believe I have no other choice but to accept”, he let out finally. “My opinion has no say in the matter of wellbeing of our people. I am overjoyed to hear such words from you and am honored to be chosen for this duty”, the words came almost naturally. 

“Wonderful. Your departure has already been arranged, and preparations taken care of. I do not know however for how long you will be staying there, so I suggest you pack everything you need for a lengthy visit”, Rhea responded in her usual, kind way, and arose from her seat. “You will be leaving with sunrise. Cyril will be escorting you to the train. Now, if you’ll excuse me...” she nodded. Seteth shifted, giving her a small, almost unnoticeable bow before taking his leave. 

As he was walking through dark tunnels of the Monastery toward his own rooms, the feeling in his stomach never calmed. Contrarily, it burned inside him, rising to his chest and then his head. Not a feeling of fear or shock or sadness, no, but rather a sixth sense of a sort. He felt like he was making the worst mistake of his life, but curiosity and even stronger sense of duty took over the fear that he so desperately tried to avoid. He didn’t know _what_ was awakening this feeling again, but he well knew what it meant. 

But no matter how much he would regret his decision for years to come, it would too be the beginning of something exciting. 

Something _new_. 


	2. Chapter 2

With first light on the 18th of Verdant Rain Moon, right after his morning prayer, Seteth took the train to a Western town named Arundel. Since the start of the second war it was used as a checkpoint for transporting wounded back to Faerghus and has become a temporary home for many soldiers. Despite of Arundel’s role in the war, its citizens have been cooperative and willing to help Faerghian forces and share their resources with the supposed enemy. The frontline has been pushed way back to the West, and Adrestian Empire has lost a good portion of their land, so the people living in that area weren’t afraid of the war affecting them more than it already had. 

The Western borders between the Empire and Faerghus have been stable in a state of trench war for years, but same couldn’t been said about the Southern territories. The frontline between the Adrestian Empire and Leicester Alliance was constantly changing, and at that point the Imperial forces had travelled too far East, invading almost half of the Alliance and nearly surrounding the grounds of Garreg Mach. 

Archbishop Rhea had made the decision of not interfering with the war between the countries, and Garreg Mach had stayed a neutral territory for all frontiers. Even so, she has always shown her disapproval of the Empire’s actions and was never afraid of stating that she had picked her personal side, and that her prayers lie with Faerghus and the Alliance. Despite of Lady Rhea not being happy about another war raging in Fódlan, the Monastery was always welcoming to everyone in need, and took care of the wounded and the dead regardless of what side they were fighting for. Such was the neutral standing of Garreg Mach. Helping the countries around it without directly participating in the war. 

It took Seteth little less than four hours of train ride to arrive at the small civilian town of Arundel. He grabbed his rather empty suitcase, since he didn’t have very much time to pack and him not really having many personal possessions and, exhausted from the early morning ride which felt like an eternity, he stepped off the train onto a lively station. Though the day was still young, Sun not having reached its zenith point yet, people were up and about their daily routine. He put on his hat and started making his way to the town’s cathedral, where he was supposed to meet with the guide whom Lady Rhea had provided him. 

Seteth fixed his overcoat, put on his hat and tried snaking his way through the crowded station. Once managing to escape onto a less noisy street, he began to look around, scribing a fade map of his surroundings into mind. If he was going to live here, he had to at least manage without a map always guiding him, even if he wasn’t planning on leaving the cathedral too often. He walked down the street, seeing various shops along the way. Where two streets crossed, he noticed a small verdant park to his right and a wide opening boiling with life on his left, which he could only assume was the town’s marketplace. 

A large stone building, its peaks reaching higher than any of the other town’s constructions, was peeking out from between the roofs. Even from this distance it could be seen that it was much, much older than any other historical monument in Arundel. It was the cathedral, and Seteth had guessed it was built around the same time as Garreg Mach itself. The church was magnificent, clearly taken good care of, but looked... abandoned, even in all its glory. Seteth hastened his pace when he noticed a man standing by the large door. 

“Oh. Good, you have finally come! It did certainly take you a while to make your way down here”, a graying man waved into Seteth’s direction. “But where are my manners. I am Hanneman von Essar, a pleasure to meet you. And you must be?” He demanded an answer. “Seteth. The pleasure is mine”, he said shaking his hand. “Very well, allow me to show you around, then. Please, follow me.” 

Hanneman was a fine gentleman, well-mannered and polite. He wore a nice suit and looked like a person for younger people to take example from. Even though he has seen better days and wasn’t in his best shape whatsoever, he upheld an energetic and almost carefree attitude even in times like these. He told Seteth he had known Rhea for years, though it was still unclear how he knew her, as the old man must had been already in his years of senility. He introduced Seteth to the old cathedral, told him about his main tasks and educated him on the history of Arundel, all while taking time to tell him about himself as well. Apparently, he was a professor at the local academy and very interested in ancient history of Fódlan. In his younger years he had been a soldier in the first war 26 years ago, fighting for the Adrestian Empire, but that was a subject he least wanted to talk about. 

Hanneman saw Seteth to his new rooms in one of the towers of the cathedral. “I was one of the people taking care of this Goddess’ forgotten place, but I take you can oversee this church by yourself now. Our academy is just a few blocks away, so you can always send for me if you will need help with it. This church is large, and nights tend to be dark and cold inside these walls”, he said almost as if regretting something for a moment. “Its rooms haven’t been in use since the first war. An urban legend goes that the priests who opposed the Empire were massacred in the greater nave, and their souls are still wandering these halls.” Seteth didn’t respond for a moment. He knew the Empire could had done something like that, even on the Goddess’ holy ground. But even if he did not believe in such ghost stories, the fact of bloodshed in these walls sent a shiver down his spine. 

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Essar”, he said finally, not commenting his last statement, “I believe I can fend for myself for now.” “Of course. Now, if you need anything, you know where to find me.” They shared a polite nod, after which Hanneman went off. Once he could not hear the old man’s walking cane clicking, Seteth opened the door of his new so-called home. 

Its door was wooden and heavy, with a simple handle. The room wasn’t big, but not small either. It contained a simple bed, a writing table and a small closet. It was dusty and, even with not much light coming from a small window on the left wall, thick spider webs could be seen in its corners. The room itself was clearly not from this era. Its walls were pure stone and floor made from old wooden planks. Though the cathedral may had been at first glance built around the same time as Garreg Mach, it looked as if no reconstruction nor renovation works were ever done like in the Monastery, he could had sworn the building still didn't even have electricity. Though the room was ancient and smelled of mold, someone had tried to make it feel more comfortable to live in. The bedlinens were already made and there was a fade light still burning in the fireplace, not to mention the room’s exceptional cleanliness compared to other areas. The window was wide open, and a chilly mid-day breeze went through Seteth’s ocean-green hair while he put his homburg up on a rack near the door and started unpacking his suitcase. 

There wasn’t much in it, just a few simple everyday suits and shirts and nightwear, along with all the essentials. Everything else he owned was already on him: a deep blue priest robe embroidered with golden thread and an overcoat of even darker shade of blue. Unpacking took little time, since most of the things he carried were merely clothes, except one old photograph of a young boy with a small child on his arms, which he put on the night table beside his bed. 

And so, he went off to prepare for his new daily routine. In a new town with new beginnings.


	3. Chapter 3

Seteth has always been a busy man. He always had a task at hand since he learned how to walk, either it was helping his family or something else just as productive. Sometimes it was a book on academic arts, sometimes apprenticeship or an occasional help for local historians, physicians, scholars, and other men of high status.

Though he grew up to be a well-learned man of value, Seteth’s childhood went past fast, some might say he matured far too quickly even for those times. Paradoxically, being the only child for a good portion of his young life, his parents could not give him enough attention due to their time-consuming jobs. On top of that, with him running errands and being busy studying every day from dawn to dusk, he had very little time for himself, let alone for making friends or for managing a personal life. With these two arguments combined, his childhood years were rather lonely, even with all the different people surrounding him. The poor boy lacked a friend, even if he did not know so himself.

However, on 12th of Blue Sea Moon in 1914, something wonderful came into this world. A small girl with big pearl-green eyes and minty hair. Such a lovely little creature, from her very birth she looked like a porcelain doll, so delicate and fragile. From the moment Seteth met his new little sister he formed an unbreakable bond with this charming alien thing. He could understand her without words, acquiring an almost telepathic connection with her. Though he had already been nearing his youth years, he had never had any real-life interactions with small children. Fascinated by the idea of something so pure and tiny and frail, he swore to always protect her from the big world she was brought into and stay by her side no matter what. This precious treasure, soon named Flayn, was the only person in existence who young Seteth cared about the most, putting her life well above his own.

First several weeks in Arundel had passed quietly without incidents or any major happenings whatsoever. Over this short amount of time people had grown keen on Seteth, making him a caretaker of the town of sort. Seteth’s tasks included watching over the cathedral, listening and giving advice to people in need and of course, conducting divine services in the name of Goddess as well as tending other everyday tasks of a priest. With Hanneman and some other professors’ help they unexpectedly fast patched the cathedral to somehow mimic its past glory, the way it was before the first war. Many have volunteered to take part in the rebuilding, and the town thrived with hope for a brighter future and blessings from their Goddess.

When leaves started turning different colors and nights began getting longer by the day, on a chilly morning a train arrived at the station. It was a freight train, but, given the situation less than a hundred miles away, those travelling in that train were soldiers. There were many, some of them wounded, some seeking shelter or returning home for a leave for several months. The wounded were sent straight to the lazaret, and even those who did not have any particular reason to stay in the small town still hopped off the train. Maybe they hadn’t had anywhere else to go, their homes destroyed or families dead or missing. A fraction of who was aboard that train continued their journey back to Faerghus. Citizens of Arundel had been accustomed to this phenomenon, since a drop off like this happened every couple months, but it was the first time for Seteth to witness the whole picture.

Usually the train came every week or two only the wounded aboard, so it wasn’t something out of ordinary for him. But this time was different, since so many new war-worn faces had joined the community, even if not for very long. People of all kinds and backgrounds. Some of them maybe even Imperial refugee soldiers. In Arundel, which was always so quiet and peaceful, one would had never thought that a war has been burning in Fódlan for years. Those poor men and women who have seen the worst of humankind awakened an odd feeling in Seteth. A feeling he has long forgotten. Seeing all those children broken by the war, he felt himself at home.

Seteth was running about the massive church building all day doing his chores when Hanneman approached him. “Seteth, there you are. We’ve been searching for you for a while now, I see you’ve become familiar with every corner of the cathedral already. You’ve been so buried with work these last weeks we barely even cross paths anymore!” the man said quickly. Seteth held a heavy pile of old books and scrolls. “Indeed, it has been a couple of days. It’s very good to see you. Although I am quite busy at the moment as you can see, I would love to stay and chat but-” he got cut off.

“Ah, Manuela and I haven’t been looking for you for nothing. You must have heard that a train has returned from the frontlines“, he noted in his usual, rather cheering voice and fixed his monocle. “We’ve thought that perhaps you could introduce yourself to our guests and offer them your services, though I am sure you’ve already done that with those nimble feet of yours.” Seteth grunted trying to balance the heavy load he was carrying from tipping over. “I will most certainly do that, however I was planning on finishing my primary work first. The library is still in need of organizing”, he cast a look at the pile, “and I was hoping that some of them might be so kind as to help me with it.” Seteth was unsure whether he should get acquainted with the newcomers, but if they were to stay here even for a small while, it was his duty and promise to Lady Rhea to get to know and try and help anyone overcome their troubles. Besides, at this point it was still unclear when he would be returning to Garreg Mach, so he could as well build new connections.

“Magnificent, then. While on the subject of work, I might need you to arrange a lecture on history of the Church of Seiros, since so many students have asked for you _specifiacally_. And we are having a divine service tomorrow, yes? It will be Sunday. If we will need more seats in the nave, I’m sure we can borrow some from the academy...” Hanneman scratched his moustache and started muttering to himself. “But we shall catch up on the business later, now, I leave you to your work. I should inform Manuela to stop searching for you”, he said as they parted ways.

It wasn’t until early afternoon that Seteth had already met some of the newly arrived folk who were up to helping him with the library, and the clean-up was done in no time. In fact, the whole day went smoothly, and time had passed rather quickly while chattering with the young soldiers. Namely, they were surprisingly interested in Seteth’s field of work and got along with him well. By the end of the day, if their generation gap hadn’t been so strong, he could had called them friends at the time.

His peaceful evening, however, was interrupted by high heels knocking in his direction. A woman of rakish figure almost stumbled trying to chase him down the small courtyard. “Seteth, dear, finally I’ve caught you. That antique Hanneman said you would be in the library, but you’ve already ran off. It took me one minute to look away and the other you’re already gone!” She said huffing from the short run. “Manuela, I understand that Hanneman already told you that he caught up with me earlier”, Seteth said slightly surprised. “We’ve already discussed the business affairs, so there really was no need for you to run around looking for me.”

“Oh, he did, but what does the old man know! I haven’t been looking for you only for business affairs, but more... private matters”, she straightened, fixed her sleek hair and stepped way too close to respect his personal space. “I would had asked sooner if you weren’t hanging out with your new friends, but I decided not to interrupt your precious bonding. Say, would you like to accompany me on the dancefloor this evening?” Her gaze pierced him, and Seteth’s expression changed to something between a raised brow and mild annoyance.

“And why would I be interested in that?” he asked, mistrusting her intentions. “Well, you clearly need a break, you’ve been working nonstop since coming here. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt if people saw you participating in town’s activities”, Manuela said in nearly a flirtatious manner. Seteth thought it over for a moment. She was right, it would boost his reputation, but on the other hand it was _Manuela_ who was asking him on what practically would be considered a date in normal circumstances. A feeling in his stomach. Again.

He let out a long, displeased sigh. “Fine.” Manuela’s eyes widened: “That’s wonderful. Come get me at eight-” “But before that I will establish some rules for you”, she got interrupted harshly. “No unnecessary approaching, flirting or anything of such character. And you must swear to me you will stay sober for once”, he blasted demandingly. “Oh Seteth, you’re no fun at all! But for only you I shall keep my promise”, she winked.

He groaned in aversion and continued on his way, leaving the woman standing. “I will come for you at eight, then.” The feeling in his stomach was driving him. Usually he would had thought that it was merely disappointment or disapproval of Manuela’s immature behavior, but this time it was different. It was the same sense he felt when leaving Garreg Mach. Why in the name of Goddess did he agree on her invitation, he couldn’t help but wonder what he has gotten himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally not Seteth x Manuela. I might have went a little overboard.


End file.
